Be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, Jan. 30. That’s when the GoodLooking Foundation will rock the Scottish Rite Theater in Collingswood, New Jersey with a musical event that is certain to chase those winter blues away.
Concert for Inclusion will begin at 8 p.m. and feature the house band, Hey Brother I’m In. True to its name, the concert will showcase other musical talent including a variety of lead and background singers, guitarists, horns and strings performing favorites from The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, The Who, and Police among others. Ticket prices range from $25 to $65 and may be purchased by logging onto www.goodlookingfoundation.org/concertforinclusion or calling 609.304.0816 or the Scottish Rite box office at 856.270.6656.
Concert for Inclusion is the brainchild of GLF founder and executive director, Joe Ciampoli who spent close to five years in the 1990s playing bass with fellow band member and longtime friend, Jeff Bishop, who will play guitar the night of the concert. Bishop also sits on the GLF board of directors. Another longtime friend and band member, Matt Phillips will be on the drums.
“Looking back on those years, I realize how special a time it was in my life. A time where strong bonds of friendship were formed,” Ciampoli said. “Travelling around in our own bus, we had long hair and big dreams.” According to Ciampoli, the guys — now 15 years later — were more than willing to reunite for this very special cause. “They both said ‘Hey brother, whatever you need,’ ” Ciampoli said, creating the genesis for both the name of the band and the concert.
“I was really moved by that. We’re calling it a Concert for Inclusion because it captures the spirit of the GoodLooking Foundation, which is all about lending a hand to people who really need one.”
The GoodLooking Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to offering respite through inclusion for families dealing with the stress of parenting children on the autism spectrum. Ciampoli, along with his wife Colleen, launched GLF after their middle son was diagnosed on the spectrum. “Our name derives from the language of autism therapists, who use the phrase ‘Good looking’ to praise children on the autism spectrum when they make eye contact. This interaction is often challenging for children with autism but can be a critical building block in their development. The phrase was a beacon of hope for our family in the days following the diagnosis of our son Joe Joe. It gave us the feeling that better days were on the way — and they were,” Ciampoli said.
The group operates a Saturday program in Voorhees at HOPE Church where families are given some much-needed down time. Children enrolled in the GoodLooking program participate in specially-designed activities with typically-developing children while parents are offered stress-reducing programs such as cooking, woodwork, meditation, and crafts.
Proceeds from the concert will go towards the GLF’s goal of opening and operating their own center for families with loved ones on the autism spectrum. Visit www.goodlookingfoundation.org for more information. For further information, please contact 609.304.8684 or or e-mail joeciampli@goodlookingfoundation.org.
